


The Disappearances at Sitio Back-Martino

by unsink



Category: Trese (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Di Ingon Nato, Disappearances, Gen, Mentions of Attempted Arrests, Philippine Mythology & Folklore, Set in Cebu, Tambaloslos, Urban Poor Community, Visayan Mythical Creature, cursing in bisaya, mentions of police harassment, technically a crossover with an ongoing comic series titled Babaylan (see end notes)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29308587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsink/pseuds/unsink
Summary: Alexandra Trese heads to Cebu and meets another babaylan.--or: Trese encounters the term "di ingon nato."
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The Disappearances at Sitio Back-Martino

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kyle A.](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kyle+A.).



> Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
> 
> This work features a local struggle of an urban poor community, which is inspired by real events.
> 
> I do not claim ownership over the characters in this story. I do not profit from this story.

Seated at the counter of The Diabolical in the middle of the night, Alexandra Trese gets a call from an unknown number. She glances at her upturned phone and sees it glowing.

Checking to make sure there’s nobody around her—or no regular human, at least—Alexandra presses a hidden button at the side of her phone and from the screen emits a small white light in the shape of a long, vertical island.

 _Cebu_ , it says. Then the light is gone. 

Her phone pings and she finds a new text message with the words, “Kulam Haus. Find LS. Take great care. -TBN”

 _TBN_. The Babaylan Network. Alexandra isn’t too familiar with their operations, but she knows there exists a network of modern babaylans just like her who do not operate in the cities, unlike her. The countrysides are not as forgetful of their roots as the cities are, after all.

Alexandra has never been called by the Network before, however. Her father has, a long time ago, but not her. She’s preoccupied with the work in the national capital and the Network does their job well in their respective regions, so their paths have never had to cross.

So being called in the middle of the night with a cryptic message means there’s something greatly amiss. 

Alexandra takes a sip of her drink as she glances at the Kambal, seated at a table across from her at the bar. She gives them a lopsided grin and shows them a photo of Cebu on her phone.

“Let’s take a trip, boys,” she says, and the twins cheer in the mostly silent establishment.

—

Alexandra and the Kambal land at the Mactan International Airport at 4 in the morning. 

At first, she was apprehensive about leaving things in Metro Manila to Captain Guerrero, but her brother can help him with most things. Besides, she doesn’t expect to stay long in Cebu, one night at most. 

“It’s embarrassing to say this, but Google Maps says Kulam Haus is a souvenir shop in Marigondon Public Beach,” Basilio says as Crispin tries to hail a taxi.

“Couldn’t use your demigod powers of location to find it?” Alexandra teases.

Crispin scoffs beside her. “If we had that kind of power, this idiot—” he gestures at Basilio “—wouldn’t get lost all the time.”

“That was _literally_ one time, Kuya! And I was drunk so it doesn’t count.”

Crispin rolls his eyes. “By the way, Bossing,” he turns to Alexandra. “You don’t happen to know any Cebuano, do you?”

“After today, I will.”

“Sure you will, boss,” Basilio grins at her as he takes the front seat of the taxi.

The taxi driver catches Alexandra’s eyes in the rearview mirror. His eyes are tired. “Ah… where to, ma’am?”

“Marigondon Public Beach, sir,” she replies. “ _Salamat_.” He nods and begins driving.

It’s not a long drive, but it’s long enough for the first pinpricks of sunlight to scatter on the pavement as they near their destination. Mactan Island, a tourist hotspot known for its white-sand beaches, is part concrete and part sand, and the rising sun is the highlight that brings out its color.

Marigondon town is barely awake, but Alexandra feels the constant thrum of nature through her feet. Something _not_ human is alive here. It’s a vibration she usually feels when she travels to borders of the metro towards the provinces outside of the National Capital Region, but here in the crossroads of city and province, the beat is constant under all the concrete, waiting to burst.

Saying one last thanks to the taxi driver, Alexandra and the Kambal walk into the entrance of the beach. The beach guard takes a look at them and waves them over to pass. As per her research, Alexandra made sure to carry a tent bag over her shoulder so that the locals will think of them as another trio of tourists. Even if they _are_ donned in all black on an April day.

“So who’s LS?” Basilio asks as they follow the stretch of sand, checking each establishment for a place called Kulam Haus.

Alexandra shrugs. “Beats me. I guess we’ll find out.”

When they finally find Kulam Haus, it’s just as Alexandra expected. It has a single door and inside, shelves full of handcrafted souvenirs. The sign on the door says closed but the trio find a slim young woman in a sleeveless duster dress with dangling earrings, wooden colored bangles on her wrists, and a bandana on her head waiting for them on the single step leading to the door of the shop.

“Awfully hot day to be wearing an all-black ensemble, don’t you think?” the woman tells them, her arms crossed across her chest. The sun is slowly making its ascent over them now.

Alexandra offers her hand. “Trese. You must be LS?”

The woman glances briefly at her outstretched hand before taking it. “Lori. The Network likes to insist on codes like LS, but I’m just Lori,” she says. “I’m familiar with your work, Trese. I didn’t think they’d really call you out here. I told them they didn’t need to.”

Alexandra glances at her surroundings. There are only a few people loitering around, probably beach personnel and the few overnight beach-goers, but she says, “There seems to be a lot of life here.”

Lori nods knowingly. “They like to keep the place loyal to its true form, but still choosing which areas to destroy in the guise of development. It sometimes confuses the otherworld.”

“I thought the Network operates primarily in the countrysides,” Alexandra points out. Marigondon is a beach town, after all, and if Lori is a member of the Network, then it’s unusual for her to be here.

Lori nods. “They do. But there are areas that are like a cross between the days of old and the new. Something like a white or gray area,” she says. “Government even touts Mactan Island as a place offering a ‘duality’ of urban and rural life. It’s all tedious, if you ask me.”

“Tedious?” Alexandra questions as Lori steps up to open the shop. 

Lori shrugs, opening the door. Alexandra feels Lori is not up to elaborate much more. “You can leave your things here,” Lori says, gesturing to a spot behind the counter of the shop. “It’s my place.”

“It’s enchanted,” Crispin points out, speaking for the first time. A lot of people are normally surprised by Crispin and Basilio’s appearance at first meet, being unnaturally handsome men, but Lori seems undeterred. Well, expected of a Babaylan, Alexandra supposes.

Lori sets up four chairs randomly placed in the small shop and gestures for them to take a seat. “It’s a small shop, but it’s a source of livelihood for me. Kind of like your Diabolical,” Lori explains. The Kambal look like they want to refute that, but Alexandra looks at them pointedly.

“Let’s take a short break before we go. You must be tired,” Lori says, fixing up her bandana to tie around her long hair. 

The Kambal use the time to look around the shop’s souvenirs and ask Lori what they are. Lori’s replies are vague, ranging from “The shop is called ‘Kulam Haus.’ What do you think?” to “Don’t touch that, that’s dangerous.” Alexandra can tell whenever Crispin bites back a “Then why are you selling it?” She understands the sentiment.

It’s not that she doesn’t trust Lori. By nature, she is drawn to trust Babaylan. They have nearly the same ancestors.

It just feels like it’s Lori who doesn’t trust her.

“So why ‘Kulam Haus’?” Alexandra asks, eyeing the pile of _anting-anting_ on the counter.

“Shock value. Tourists eat it up.”

Alexandra hums in acknowledgment, but she’s well aware which artifacts in the shop are real and truly magical. She doesn’t dare ask about them, though.

Lori is fixing up papers on the counter now, but Alexandra can tell she is sounding out all three of them. She only looks preoccupied, but all her senses are trained on Alexandra and the Kambal.

Lori is cautious. Before Alexandra can ask about it, though, Basilio cuts through the odd silence, “Boss, I’m kinda hungry,” he tells Alexandra.

“I think we passed by a _karinderya_ on the way here. You mind?” she says, directing the question at Lori.

Lori waves her hand dismissively. “They gave me budget for your food and transpo. And I have a friend with a restobar here.”

“Aw yeah!” Basilio exclaims, delighted.

Lori smirks. “You might not like him, though. My friend, I mean.” She leads them out of the shop and locks the door, quickly whispering something to it. Alexandra assumes it’s to strengthen the existing wards. Babaylan with magic are not unheard of—Alexandra has _Sinag_ strapped to her waist—but a babaylan who wields magic almost as well as the Kambal do are unusual.

“Who’s your friend?” Alexandra asks her as they walk in step further along the shoreline. They stop in front of a beachside restobar with the name “Red Trails” over it.

“Interesting name,” Crispin comments under his breath. 

“There’s a weird energy coming from there,” Basilio says.

“It’s not open yet,” Alexandra says.

Lori chuckles. “Nice observations.” She steps forward to ring the bell hanging on a short post right in front of the shop. No response. She rings again and they hear a voice, “I’m coming! Jesus, Lori, do you mind?”

From beside the Red Trails hut comes an _aswang_ and the Kambal tense up. Alexandra regards him curiously. He looks human, but they all can tell at first glance that he isn’t. 

The man’s eyes widen upon seeing them. “Lori, why are they here?” He glances at Lori nervously and at the same time looking guarded. It’s not every day you see the killer of your kind face-to-face. But, well, if he’s acquainted with Lori, then the case is different.

“They’re here for Backma, not for you. I wouldn’t sell you out like that,” she tells him teasingly, moving closer, but Alexandra can tell she also says it out of concern. The man’s shoulders relax just a bit. Lori looks over her shoulders towards the Kambal. “You might want to calm down. Maurice is essential to us here,” she tells them, something like a threat underlying her voice. Alexandra can physically feel the Kambal let down their guards, if only a little.

“They’re just here to eat,” Lori tells Maurice. “Then we go to Backma.”

Maurice nods in understanding, still eyeing the trio warily.

A bird flies past them just then, landing on Lori’s shoulder. “Lori,” Alexandra hears it say and upon closer examination, she realizes it’s not just any bird.

It has the wings of a bat and the claws and beak of an eagle, all in the color black, almost like a bigger crow. Alexandra estimates its wingspan to be 80cm, but its body is small. Their kind come in different sizes, she should’ve known, but she did not expect Lori to have a _wakwak_ familiar. The bird-like creature looks just like any other bird to the untrained eye.

“Wick,” Lori addresses the bird. “I think you startled our guests.”

“I’m sorry, Lori,” Wick says and Alexandra trains her eyes on him. Wick seems to realize Alexandra can hear him talk.

“Babaylan, too?” he asks Lori. Then he looks at the Kambal. “And the half-gods. Just like—” his sentence is cut off by Lori pinching his stomach. “Ow!”

“Remember they can understand you. We’re here for work only,” Lori says firmly, then she glances at Maurice, who turns to enter the Red Trails hut.

“Come on in,” Maurice says.

Looking at Lori with a retreating _aswang_ behind her figure and a _wakwak_ on her shoulder, Alexandra thinks that Lori looks all the sight of someone who _knows_.

After breakfast—a regular, _human_ breakfast, contrary to the Kambal’s concerns—Lori bids farewell to Maurice, who grumbles about going back to sleep. The trio step out into a beach front that’s steadily being occupied. They’re getting a few stares from the beach-goers and residents.

“You really stand out in all-black. This is a beach, you know,” Lori tells them. Wick is still perched on her shoulder, quiet now.

“We’re used to working within the city,” Crispin explains.

“Well, what we have here for you is in the nearest city in the mainland. We just need to travel a bit. Twenty minutes if we’re lucky. It’s barely rush hour so we should be good,” Lori tells them. She turns to Wick and seems to communicate with him through her eyes, because Wick leaves her shoulder. Guess the familiar isn’t coming along.

Outside the beach entrance, the four of them get on a nearly empty multicab, save for one other passenger who’s sleeping at the end of the vehicle.

Alexandra notices Lori wave her hand by her side as they sit down and she meets her eyes. “I don’t want them overhearing. It’s simple magic,” she explains and Alexandra doesn’t press.

They sit across each other on the multicab, with the Kambal beside Alexandra.

“This is generally all work for me. I don’t normally work with the Network unless they call on me or need my help,” Lori begins. Alexandra thinks she sounds so professional. “So there really was no need to call you, but since you’re here, I’ll brief you anyway.

“A week ago, an urban poor community called Sitio Back-Martino had a 2-day barricade against police and members of the Housing and Urban Development Office of the city government. They were to be demolished to make way for a housing project. But the thing is, that land is rightfully the residents’. It was donated to them by the former city mayor back in the 90s. And the planned housing project doesn’t secure a space for them since it’s not something they can afford in the first place. So you can understand why they resisted and put up the barricade,” Lori says, voice low, her eyes searching the trio’s faces for any disagreement. Alexandra isn’t sure how much of her work Lori knows, but she keeps her comments to herself.

Lori continues, “There were attempted arrests during the barricade especially because the residents and supporters pushed back against the bulldozer. You live in the capital. I’m sure you know how it goes.

“Anyway, after the 2-day barricade, the police and the HUDO suddenly stopped. But then the residents slowly started disappearing. I scouted the area a few days ago and it’s _engkanto_ magic.”

Alexandra furrows her eyebrows. “What makes you sure?”

“You can tell, when we get there. Even from a distance, you’ll be able to tell. Those of us who have ties to the otherworld will know. The _di ingon nato_ is active around these parts.”

“ _Di ingon nato_?”

Lori hums. “It’s a local term for them. It means ‘not like us.’ Not human. Though I suppose the Kambal fit that, too, no?” Lori says lightly, giving the twins a small smile. She seems to sense the Kambal’s hesitance to trust her. The Kambal have a feel for things like Lori does, something Alexandra often lacks.

“This is just work. I just need to get paid,” Lori continues, though Alexandra thinks that with the way Lori talks about it, this is more than just work for her. That the lost residents are more than just work. “I don’t expect you to trust me. But I’m not gonna sell out anyone.”

“What do you mean ‘get paid’?” Crispin asks, voice clipped. Alexandra understands his suspicions.

Lori leans back on her seat. “I don’t come from money and I’m an orphan. Kulam Haus is easy to leave behind because nobody ever buys from there. The tourists here like the expensive private resorts more than the public beaches so the locals flock to the public beaches and they don’t fall for that _kulam_ souvenir thing. But I have bills to pay,” Lori says. “So I take these jobs.”

“You’ll do anything to get paid?” Alexandra asks curiously.

If Alexandra’s tone was accusatory, Lori seems unfazed. “I wouldn’t truly hurt anyone, magical or non-magical, even if I was paid a large sum. But I’ll do most things for money,” she says.

“Is that why we’re in a jeep and not a taxi?” Basilio asks.

Lori winks at him. “You should experience our jeepneys, too,” she says, letting out a laugh.

A smile tugs at Alexandra’s lips as Crispin and Basilio scoff in amusement. Alexandra knows Lori is harmless and she’s right, this is work, but she’s comforted to be accompanied in a new place by somebody who knows her way around.

They pass by the Marcelo Fernan Bridge connecting Mactan Island and Cebu province. Alexandra remembers Lori calling it “New Bridge.” At the end of the large four-lane bridge is mainland Cebu.

A few more meters ahead, they finally alight at a place across a large building called Pacific Mall, Lori leading the way for them. The jeepney terminal at the front of the mall is starting to fill up as rush hour seeps in. The four of them are situated across the side entrance of the mall and Alexandra is glad to avoid the crowd as they watch.

Lori turns to her left and begins walking. The trio follow her, falling into a line behind her on the narrow sidewalk with Basilio at the very back.

“We’re not gonna enter the sitio just yet,” Lori tells them as she walks. She probably did some of her no-overhearing magic again so that the people bumping into them won’t hear a thing. “But I want you guys to see the place for yourself.”

She stops walking and turns to face the other side of the road. Alexandra and the Kambal follow suit and they’re met with a small opening of a road and, in the distance, what seems to be makeshift houses.

“This is Sitio Back-Martino. Tell me what you observe,” Lori says.

Even from the significant distance, Alexandra senses the _engkanto_ magic Lori mentioned before. But this one is… sinister. The original intent of the creation of magic was for a good purpose, until certain entities imbued evil intentions as they used it. Now magic exists neutrally until its scale is tipped.

This energy at the sitio is, for sure, motivated by evil intentions. It doesn’t seem to come from the sitio itself, nor its residents, but rather something reminiscent of _residue_. Like its wielder left traces of it behind. But for magic of that volume to be left behind… somebody, or some _thing_ , has been using too much.

Lori tilts her head towards Alexandra. “You feel it, right? Can you tell what it is?”

Alexandra shakes her head. While the magic is strong, it’s hard to tell what creature it is. She tells Lori as much.

Lori nods. “I can’t tell what it is, either. For sure it’s _engkanto_ , but at the same time, I think there’s more than just that.”

Alexandra quirks an eyebrow at her. “You think there are humans involved?” she asks.

“Yes,” Lori replies, pursing her lips. “I don’t know much about where you’re from, but the _engkanto_ here mostly exude this much magic when it’s their habitats under attack. But Sitio Back-Martino was always a human home even back then, and its residents take great care of the natural objects around it. Once they had to cut a tree to build a makeshift house and all they did was talk to the _agta_ who lives in it through one community member who could see him.” Alexandra briefly remembers that the _agta_ is similar to a _kapre_. Lori continues, “They came to an agreement. It’s a peaceful cohabitation. So it’s unlikely for the _engkanto_ to suddenly start attacking the residents without a human egging them on.”

“That seems to be likely,” says Crispin. “But it sounds like a cop-out. What if it’s just an _engkanto_?”

Lori huffs. “In a simplified manner, the residents and the _engkanto_ are friends. Somewhat. It’s a special agreement between them that came about after the ancestors of the residents won the struggle to live on this land here. That former mayor who donated the lot to them was part of that agreement. So this is a friendship—so to speak—spanning decades.”

“Things change, frequently. Especially between our world and the underworld,” Crispin retorts. 

Lori shrugs, unfazed by Crispin’s questioning. “We’ll have to meet the residents,” she says instead. She turns to her companions and looks them over. “Do you not have normal people clothes under all that black garb?” she quips.

Basilio snorts. “We do,” he says.

Lori nods, smiling. “Good. You’d stand out too much if we enter the community with what you’re wearing.” 

The Kambal begin to take off their coats, but Alexandra stops them. “What about our weapons?” she asks Lori.

“What are they?”

“The Kambal have guns. I also have a gun, but I brought my dagger with me. It’s magical and I can’t afford to remove it from my person. My coat is the only thing that hides it,” Alexandra explains, her hand unconsciously moving to where _Sinag_ is snugly placed.

“I see,” Lori says, nodding. “Wait here.” She walks a bit further on the sidewalk and stretches an arm up to pluck several dying leaves from a nearby tree, murmuring a few words to it. Her back is turned from the trio, leaving them to wonder what she’s doing. When she turns back around, she carries with her an unevenly-shaped-but-still-rectangular tote bag. It had the brown-ish color of the leaves she plucked out.

“It looks weird, but it’s the best I could make right now,” Lori explains, handing it to Alexandra. “You can leave your weapons here. It’s magical so your things will fit. Trese can carry it, or whoever you think fits the fashion of someone who carries a tote bag.” She lets out a scoff in amusement, and then she pauses. “I know it wouldn’t be wise for someone else to carry your weapons and that’s fine. No hard feelings,” she tells them.

The Kambal are about to pull out their guns when Lori speaks up. “Wait,” she begins, halting them. “Maybe we should do this under a cover or something. There’s a waiting shed just up ahead. You’re gonna scare people with your guns.” Lori looks like she wants to speak more, but stops herself. She says instead, “Let’s go.”

They walk towards the waiting shed where the Kambal sit down on the horizontal pole meant to be seats while Alexandra and Lori loom over them. Lori told them she had done a bit of a charm to make her and Alexandra look a little larger, effectively covering the twins’ weapons. Afterwards, the Kambal hand the bag out to Alexandra while they take off their coats, revealing t-shirts and jeans underneath.

As Alexandra drops her gun into the bag, she hesitates when she moves to grab _Sinag_. It was her dead infant twin’s soul fashioned into a weapon meant to protect her at all times. The Kambal have their powers. Lori seems to also have her own. Alexandra only has _Sinag_.

Lori seems to sense this. “Think you can keep it inside your boot?” she suggests. Alexandra is wearing jeans whose ends were hidden inside her black boots. It’s not a bad suggestion.

“Let me try. Cover me,” Alexandra says as she crouches down to insert the _kalis_ inside her boot. It’s uncomfortable—it is a sharp object inserted beside her foot—but it’s snug and it’s enough for her.

She stands back up straight and says, “Okay. I’m ready.”

Lori smiles. “Good. Let’s go.”

They all turn to cross the road. The traffic stops at a standstill just then as the crossing reaches a red light, making it easier for them.

Once they arrive at the opening of the sitio, Alexandra can feel the abnormal energy around her. It feels like it’s burning and she thinks things might be more unusual than they imagined it to be.

They move nearer to the makeshift houses, where Lori is greeted by an elderly woman. “‘ _Bay_ Risa,” Lori greets the woman. “I’ve brought friends who can help with the situation.”

The community is quiet. Alexandra’s experience with the urban poor sector is that areas like this are usually teeming with people, but right now, the sitio’s residents lingering outside are few and scattered. She supposes the disappearances have made the residents extra careful. It may have even pushed them to just stay inside.

Risa, a woman Alexandra estimates to be in her 60s, turns to look at them as Lori sits beside her on the slim wooden bench. Her eyes shine with white as she regards them, which quickly flickers out. To any other person, it would’ve seemed like a trick of light. But to people like Alexandra and the Kambal, it’s obvious Risa is the community member who could see the _engkanto_.

“Wick not here today?” Risa asks Lori.

“No. I thought it best for him not to come,” Lori says.

Seeing Lori well-acquainted with the residents confirms Alexandra’s theory that this is not just work for her.

“Can you tell them what you told me?” Lori asks Risa. Risa nods and gestures for the trio to grab the other wooden bench from a house beside hers. Only Alexandra takes a seat, though. The Kambal stay standing.

Risa tells them about the barricade, about the attempted arrests of the police and the Housing and Urban Development Office or HUDO, about how she and her parents and her grandparents have lived in this area for decades. How, when they were given this piece of land, it was close to nothing and always had water filling it up from the river that the residents had to continuously scoop out. How they, the community, worked together using what little materials they had to make the area livable. 

Now, the city government of Mandaue wants to take the land back to create a housing project that would be much too expensive for the residents to afford. The community is composed of minimum wage earners, with the minimum wage set at ₱404 a day, and even then, only a few of them really have jobs, mostly in manufacturing plants where they are contractual workers. Majority of them dabble in the informal sector, selling water and snacks on the streets.

“At first, we were surprised that the police stopped tailing and harassing us after the barricade,” Risa tells them. “But then the first victim, an elementary school student, suddenly disappeared. It had been the afternoon that time, she would’ve been done with school and on her way home. She’s my granddaughter and she’s a good kid. I don’t believe she would’ve left home.”

“How many have disappeared since then?” Alexandra asks. 

“Six,” Risa replies, saddened by the number. “It’s much too many.”

Lori clears her throat and turns to Alexandra. “My theory is that this is a scheme of the city government or the police to clear the community so they can start their projects. Their goal was always to displace the community.” She says that last part with badly-concealed venom in her voice.

Risa nods. “The elders here think that the mayor probably made a deal with a creature that could make the residents lose their way home,” she says. Despite her calm demeanor, she sounds tired and Alexandra would even say upset. The decades of frustration must have caught up to her.

Alexandra hums thoughtfully. “Nearly all creatures we’ve come in contact with have some kind of magic that can make people lost. The tikbalang, for one,” she says. “Though now we are in some kind of a working relationship with them. Is there one that you know of that could inflict the same magic? We’ve dealt with a lot, but we haven’t been all over the country.”

Risa turns to Lori just then, as if to communicate something. Lori’s eyes widen just a fraction as she realizes the same thing Risa is trying to tell her, before she schools her expression.

“There is one,” Lori says, her eyebrows furrowing. “My, er, mother met one once before, but not here. Back in her province. They live in forests. It’s unheard of for them to be in the city.”

Well, there’s a lot of creatures just like that. “What are they?” Alexandra asks.

At this, Lori lets out a laugh, as if remembering something funny. Even Risa smiles, amused. “Their name is kind of like a curse word here. Like an insult. They’re so unheard of in this modern decade that even natives here sometimes forget that the word came from them,” Lori says. “They’re called _tambaloslos_.”

“I think I heard one drunkard call somebody else that one time at the Diabolical,” Basilio pipes in. “I wanted to ask, but they started punching each other. He said something like, ‘ _loslos ka_.’”

Lori chuckles, nodding. “It’s like saying somebody’s stupid or what they’re saying is bullshit because the tambaloslos as creatures are simple-minded,” Lori explains. Upon saying that, her eyes widen again. “Wait, this actually makes sense. The tambaloslos wouldn’t be cunning enough to specifically target a whole community. There has to be a human feeding it info on what to do and who to get.”

“What do they do exactly?” Alexandra asks, starting to feel confused. 

“When somebody wanders into their forest or near the tree where they reside, it appears before the humans,” Lori begins. Alexandra can sense some level of excitement building up in her. “Once they see it, the tambaloslos makes them go in circles, never to find their way home. The tambaloslos finds amusement in this. It literally makes it laugh so hard. They take the form of a small male humanoid with a bald head, a thick upper lip, large eyes, and something that looks like bat ears. They have big teeth, bigger than a _bungisngis_ ’s.”

Lori takes a look at the confused expression of the trio and waves her hand. “How do I say…” she trails off. “They’re like overgrown tarsiers with bigger heads and large teeth and just overall really ugly,” she finally says after a while.

“Lori,” Risa warns. “You should be careful what you say. They already have their eyes on you.” 

This only increases Alexandra’s questions now, but all are unrelated to the case so she’ll keep it to herself. For now.

Lori sighs. “I know. I’ll be more careful,” she promises Risa, squeezing her hand gently. Alexandra didn’t even notice their hands had joined.

Lori turns back to the trio. “Anyway, that’s what they are,” she tells them.

It sounds simple enough, if Alexandra asks the right questions. “Do we know the counter-magic?” Every magic has its counter-magic, after all. The Babaylan are well-versed in that.

Lori and Risa both nod, but it’s Risa who speaks. “Old wives’ tales say that when you encounter them, you have to wear your clothes backwards so you can find your way home,” she explains. So it’s kind of like the tikbalang, Alexandra thinks. “Doing this will make the tambaloslos laugh so hard, its upper lip will curl backwards over its own head, obscuring its vision and giving you the time to run and leave its sight.”

“That...sounds simple,” Alexandra comments.

“I’d agree with you, but this is different,” Lori says, letting out a sigh. “The tambaloslos is being used to _pinpoint_ specific people. And only from this sitio. Normally, the tambaloslos waits for its prey. But this time, it is actively seeking them out. That probably explains the large volume of magic being left behind.”

The group is quiet for a while, soaking in the information. Alexandra has never encountered this creature before. It seems to be found in the Visayas and, if she remembers her notes hard enough, there’s a number of them in Bicol, too. 

“I think…” Risa begins. “I think the mayor might have something to do with this.”

Lori whips her head towards Risa. “You mean, you think she has magic?”

“A magical item, maybe,” Risa says. “But I wouldn’t put it past her to deal with dark magic. She’s been targeting urban poor communities for a long time now. Maybe she’s fed up because most of the communities have always fought back or demanded for the right to decent housing.”

Lori leans back and looks up. “Huh,” she says. “Why is it not surprising that she’d do this.” It’s not a question, but Lori is speaking familiarly about the mayor.

Risa continues, “And I think the police may have made the deal, too.”

Lori scowls at this, her disdain for the police obvious now. Alexandra wonders how she missed it. “This is why I never work with the police. Politicos, maybe, because I know how to draw the line with them. But the police are pigs,” Lori says, not bothering to hide her anger anymore. She eyes Alexandra and the Kambal warily, waiting for them to refute her. 

_So she knows my work_ , Alexandra thinks. “I can understand that,” Alexandra tells her softly. She’s aware of the atrocities of the police all over the country and she will not deny that she works with them as their supernatural detective, but she knows Lori knows that she’s never harmed any human. That it’s always just been evil _engkanto_.

Lori is in the same gray boat as Alexandra. Alexandra suspects Lori has to work some jobs for politicians for the money that she needs to survive, even if it does sometimes unintentionally affect some _engkanto_. Lori’s life is in a delicate, difficult balance between choosing to save her own skin, choosing to save the _engkanto_ , and choosing to save humankind. And Alexandra, more than anyone, understands that.

Alexandra believes Lori is just trying to cover her bases with them, hence the sudden display of anger. It has made Alexandra understand her better and they seem to communicate this when their eyes meet and they nod in understanding. _I’ll save my questions for later_. 

Seeing this, Lori is calm when she says, “I guess it’s time to show you City Hall.”

—

After having lunch with the members of the community where Basilio shared jokes with some of the residents, Crispin stood beside him stifling his laughter and Alexandra stood as a quiet observer, the four of them bid the community farewell to head out to the Mandaue City Hall.

“I can understand your dedication to help them,” Alexandra tells Lori. They’re lining up at the taxi line of Pacific Mall now, the Kambal right behind them. 

After sharing one meal with the community, Alexandra can tell that even if Lori isn’t related to anyone there, she has a deep sense of justice and greater care for the people.

Lori frowns slightly. The line moves forward. “It’s all I can do,” she responds to Alexandra. “Help, I mean. Support. Gather people to rally behind them. At the end of the day, whether they win their struggle as a community or not is in the power of how organized they are and the willingness to see it through. They make their own history, you know. It’s how they’ve survived for so long amid all the threats.”

“Is that why Risa told you to be careful?”

Lori gives Alexandra a lopsided smile. “I’ve been… around. Marginalized communities are vulnerable. I do what I can to help, whether through magic or solidarity,” Lori explains. “The way I see it, solidarity is some kind of magic in itself.

“So I’m being targeted. Well, watched, more like. The threat is more prevalent to the actual communities. But they notice me around, especially politicos with ties to the _engkanto_. Police, too. They know...what I am. What I do. I keep a low profile, mostly, but being the only babaylan within a five-mile radius is bound to get me some attention,” Lori admits.

A taxi becomes available for them just then, cutting off Alexandra’s questions as they cram themselves into it. There’s a lot on her mind right now. She reflects on how differently they work despite having nearly the same goal: to maintain the balance between this world and the underworld. Alexandra even notices how Lori uses _otherworld_. Like it’s just another world to her. Maybe her ties run deeper than just that of a babaylan.

Maybe she’ll keep in contact with Lori after all this.

They arrive at a building called the City Hall of Mandaue. It looks like the city halls you would find around the country, with its cross between Spanish and American architecture for government buildings.

Noticeable, though, are the four shrubs along the pathway towards the entrance of the building and a single mango tree in the front lawn surrounded by a short 2-meter fence. Alexandra estimates the tree to be almost a hundred years old.

“I can only guess what lives there,” Alexandra tells Lori as the taxi speeds away behind them. They asked to be dropped off at a nearby corner a bit farther away from the city hall, but even from this distance, the mango tree’s presence is large, looming, and emitting a magic that feels overused.

Lori nods. “If we’re correct, the tambaloslos lives there and is tied to the city hall. If that’s the case, then we need to find whatever connects it to the tree. The _tambaloslos_ like to dwell in bamboos near the rivers, not in mango trees,” she explains.

“So it’s very likely it was forcefully transferred there,” Alexandra supplies and Lori confirms her theory.

“Simple-minded creatures. Easiest to sway by humans. This one was probably promised an abundance of lost souls here in the city,” Lori says, her eyes flicking towards the city hall doors. Then she turns back to Alexandra. “Your dagger is magical, right?” Alexandra nods. “So we’ll sneak up on the tree. I’ll look for the connection and you cut it. Can the Kambal watch guard?”

They both turn to the Kambal. “Of course,” Crispin says firmly. “We’ll protect you both.”

“How dangerous will this be, exactly?” Basilio asks, not an ounce of fear in his voice.

Lori looks thoughtful. “It’s the afternoon right now. I don’t think the mayor or the police will make a scene by involving magic on people who are sneaking up on a tree. The locals here would become too suspicious. But we should expect to be apprehended regardless. The mayor will want to have a few words with me.”

“Have you worked with her before?” Crispin can’t stop himself from asking.

Lori smiles wistfully as she looks forward. “I had to. Once.”

Alexandra is about to speak when Lori takes a step forward. “Let’s talk about that later,” she says. “Right now, the goal is to capture the tambaloslos and bring it to the Network. I calculate that the mayor will find us just as we sever their connection. The Kambal will have to grab the creature and blindfold it so we don’t fall prey to it. You have those masks on you, right? I believe it will help you.”

The Kambal nod in understanding and Alexandra poises to get ready, getting a feel for _Sinag_ under her coat.

“Let’s go in from the side,” Lori instructs and they start moving.

There are only a few people loitering around the city hall. Most are inside the building or at the nearby public market. Lori had mentioned before that people are shaken up about the disappearances more than they admit to be. It created a chilling effect on them, making them less likely to leave home unless they need to.

Still, the four of them move quietly until they reach the mango tree. Alexandra feels herself walk through an invisible force field, but it’s harmless. So far, so good.

Immediately, Lori starts to circle the tree as the Kambal turn their backs on them, keeping watch of their surroundings. To the ordinary person, they look like they’re looking for something, like a lost ring, among the roots of the tree. The Kambal even take on the role of chatting brothers while keeping a watchful eye.

Alexandra hears Lori mutter a word she can’t understand. “ _Pangita_ ,” Lori says while holding a hand out towards the roots. Alexandra assumes it’s a spell.

Alexandra is seated beside the tree just outside its small fence. She realizes she’s facing a side entrance of the city hall when she sees a woman in business attire emerge from it. “Lori,” she whispers. “I think your mayor’s here.” Alexandra stands up, hand over _Sinag_.

“ _Piste_ ,” Lori curses. “I haven’t found it yet. Wait, let me try something.”

Lori places her hand on the trunk of the tree and begins to speak in her native tongue, “ _O Lihangin, hangyo ako sa paggamit sa imong gahum sa pagpangita sa mga kalag nga nawala aron mahibalik sa mga nawad-an. Gamay nga hangyo, Lihangin_.”

A strong wind circles them just as the mayor speeds up towards them. “Lorena Santisima!” the mayor yells angrily over the force of the wind.

The 2-meter fence in front of Alexandra begins to glow as the wind’s force wanes and she realizes just what they are. “Lori, it’s the fences!” Alexandra exclaims, kneeling. She draws _Sinag_ , murmurs to it, and quickly stabs the soil that one of the bases of the fences pierce. “Crispin, Basilio! Get ready!”

From her periphery, she sees the Kambal don their masks as the fences emit a bright light that reaches up to the top of the tree, knocking Alexandra backwards. They hear a wild laughter coming from inside the tree—the tambaloslos has been set free.

The Kambal move quickly after that just as the tambaloslos jumps in front of them and starts laughing. It’s about 3 meters in height, but its large teeth and head make it look just another meter taller.

Crispin grabs the creature, whose laugh turns into a snarl. Its large mouth starts to open, as if to bite Crispin, but Basilio comes up from behind the tambaloslos just then, securing the blindfold over its eyes. 

Lori, who had been keeping the mayor at bay while the creature was being subdued, quickly runs over to the blindfolded tambaloslos and murmurs a charm over the blindfold, to secure it. Once done, Alexandra notices Lori’s eyes harden as she turns back towards the mayor.

“Helen Cabal, I don’t think you know the severity of what you’ve done,” Lori tells the mayor, taking a step forward.

Basilio steps up beside Alexandra as she dusts herself off and stands up. “Bossing, what about the people around?” he asks. Crispin has secured the tambaloslos with a few makeshift ties.

Alexandra looks around her surroundings just then, mentally cursing herself for forgetting about the humans. But she realizes nobody is paying attention. She holds out her hand to feel out for the force field she felt earlier and sure enough, there it was, just near the edge of the lawn. Nobody could see them inside.

She turns back to the scene before her, hearing the mayor—Helen Cabal—tell Lori, “This will not be the last I’ll see of you, Santisima. Remember your place.”

“I’ll find a way to avoid your clutches, Cabal. The Network will have a word with you soon,” Lori tells her as she grabs the hog-tied tambaloslos and swings it over her shoulder. “Stop disturbing the balance that we work hard to keep. You will not like it when the otherworld decides to attack humans again.”

Helen Cabal says nothing at that, just focuses her sharp eyes on Lori as the four of them walk away.

—

They travel back to the Kulam Haus in relative silence. They take a taxi this time because the traffic congestion has worsened with the setting of the sun and it would have been a difficult fight to get a seat on a multicab, much less four. They had thought to visit Sitio Back-Martino before returning to Marigondon, but they didn’t want to bring the tambaloslos to the area. Lori mentioned she would be coming back to check on them. Hopefully, the disappeared have already returned, as if they haven’t been missing for a week. Like coming home from a long vacation.

Basilio breaks the silence once at the Kulam Haus. “That thing is ugly,” he comments, shivering. Lori is wrapping a golden cloth around the tambaloslos. It’s a magical item, Alexandra notices.

Crispin rolls his eyes. “You’re one to talk. I was the one who had to fend off its huge teeth.”

“Like attracts like, Kuya,” Basilio teases and Crispin punches him hard enough for Basilio to stumble.

Basilio retaliates by jumping on his brother and pushing him outside the open door, leaving Alexandra and Lori in the shop.

“Are you sending it to the Network now?” Alexandra asks her. Lori is now tying the wrapped creature in a golden rope.

“Yes,” Lori replies, placing a hand on the cloth. “Hold on a minute, Trese.” Lori closes her eyes and mutters something Alexandra couldn’t catch. The cloth begins glowing and before Alexandra knows it, the tambaloslos has disappeared.

“You seem adept with magic,” Alexandra comments as Lori opens her eyes.

Lori takes a seat behind the counter. “You know, I only realized the real reason why the Network called for you when I saw Helen Cabal’s face,” Lori says. Alexandra doesn’t bring up the change in topic.

“What’s that?”

“They know my history with Cabal. With you around, Cabal was less likely to actually harm me,” Lori explains. “I told them they didn’t need to call you because I could handle it. But I see now why they insisted.”

“So we were a safety option?” Alexandra can’t help but ask. The _tambaloslos_ was a relatively easy foe, easier than much of what Alexandra has dealt with, but she also wonders if it was only easy because of Lori.

Lori nods anyway. “Yeah. And it’s a warning sign to Cabal, too. That there are more than she thinks who are keeping the balance between the two worlds. Like a strength in numbers thing.” Lori lets out a small laugh. “I think I would’ve been captured by the tambaloslos, too, though, if you guys weren’t there. So thanks.”

Alexandra hums, smiling. “Anytime. Speaking of, I think I should get your number.” She digs around her pocket for her cellphone. “Let’s keep in contact. Your knowledge would prove useful in case a bald-headed laughing creature with big teeth ends up in the capital.” Lori laughs at that and takes Alexandra’s phone, punching in her number.

Lori hands the cellphone back to Alexandra. “Let’s hope I do my job well enough that they never end up there. But we can never predict the flow of the universe. We can only harness its power,” she says, almost wistful.

Alexandra understands. This responsibility that’s fallen on them is heavy. Some days, it feels like a burden. But once they remember what it’s actually for, they manage to persist.

Lori claps her hands as she straightens up. “Anyway! We should eat dinner. I’m starving,” she says, grinning. “Are you taking the first plane tomorrow morning?”

Alexandra nods. “Yeah. It’s easier to book early morning flights.”

“Great! Let’s head to Red Trails. Maurice makes the most delicious _humba_ you’ll ever taste. If we’re lucky, we might also have lechon belly.”

Alexandra laughs. “We’re blowing the Network’s budget on food, then.”

“That’s right!”

As Lori locks up the shop, Alexandra calls on the Kambal and tells them about dinner. They cheer as they run up from where they were sitting on the sand to walk ahead of Alexandra and Lori to Red Trails.

“By the way, Lori,” Alexandra begins as the _wakwak_ familiar enters her field of vision, landing on Lori’s shoulder. “I just have one question I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“Yes?” Lori prompts, turning her head towards her, hands on her back as they continue walking.

“You’re like them, aren’t you?” Alexandra asks, her eyes darting to the Kambal in front of them.

Lori simply smiles at her before facing forward. “Let’s eat, Trese.”

—

_end_

**Author's Note:**

> 1) The characters LORI SANTISIMA, WICK, MAURICE and the places RED TRAILS and KULAM HAUS are all creations of Kyle A. as characters and settings of his ongoing work Philippine folklore-based comic series, _Babaylan_. They have entire lore behind them that I chose not to fully reveal in this fic because it’s not my story to tell. I do not take ownership of these characters or places. (I did ask permission to use them, though. Thanks, Kyle.)
> 
> 2.) The struggle for decent housing of the urban poor community Sitio Back-Martino is largely inspired by the same struggle of the residents of Sitio Back-Matimco, Subangdaku, Mandaue City. This struggle continues to this day and is very real. Here are some resources regarding their experiences: [(1)](https://www.facebook.com/aninawprod/posts/10157293713647331) [(2)](https://www.facebook.com/aninawprod/posts/10157253619232331) [(3)](https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157438390732331&id=118591512330&__tn__=-R)
> 
> 3.) Minor detail, but the means of transpo used in the story is narrated as a “multicab,” but both Lori and Basilio refer to it as jeep/jeepney. Multicabs are much smaller than the regular jeepneys and they’re what ply the Mactan roads and most areas outside of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue. 
> 
> 4.) Another minor detail: Lori refers to Risa as “‘bay.” It’s a shortened form of “abay,” which (loosely) means friend. Its more common spelling is _bai_. 
> 
> 5.) I hope you enjoyed! Here is my [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/mytsmu) and my [curiouscat](http://curiouscat.qa/unsink) if you wanna talk :D


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